Ryerson Image Centre: Winter 2014

Everything you need to know about the great exhibitions to see on campus this semester.

Elisa Julia Gilmour is bringing her exhibition, Something in Someone’s Eye, back to Ryerson where it was once her fourth-year thesis project. Bridging her interest in portraiture and cinematic work, Gilmour’s exhibit is four 16mm film portraits projected on a continuous loop across the gallery walls. She describes her exhibit as exploring “the tension between moving and still images.” To parallel the fleeting nature of the subject’s gaze, the continuous looping will degrade the film over time. So act fast if you want to catch this one. The exhibit will be at Ryerson Image Centre’s student gallery January 22 to March 2.

Former Ryerson professor, Phil Bergerson, has been scouring urban landscapes across America since 1995. Bergerson’s photographs reflect his interest in the ruins of the “American dream” and the American industrial glory days. He compares himself to an archaeologist “sifting through the remains of a culture and pulling out the things that will represent that culture.” His new exhibit Emblems and Remnants of the American Dream, offers a witty and moving commentary on city life for those looking to challenge the values of their own environment. The exhibition will show at the Ryerson Image Centre’s gallery from January 22 to April 13.

Ryerson professor, Robert Burley’s The Disappearance of Darkness, explores the predominance of technology today and its impact on the photography industry. Burley’s depiction of the collapse of film manufacturing and darkroom use in the digital age will appeal to photography buffs and those interested in the influence of technology alike. The exhibit includes photographs of the closing and abandoned Kodak factories among other heavyweight corporations. Burley observes the emergence of a radically redefined industry as photography transitions from analogue to digital. It will be on display in the Ryerson Image Centre’s main gallery from January 22 to April 13.

Pierre Tremblay picked though Ryerson’s Black Star Collection and created an innovative exhibit called Black Star Subject: Canada. The multimedia artist has created three short films for the New Media Wall at the Ryerson Image Centre. His films use works from the Black Star photo agency’s collection that was donated to Ryerson, and includes photos by several Canadian photographers. Curator, Don Snyder, describes the exhibit as “the history of Canada in black in white photographs from World War II to the 1980s.” On display from January 22 till April 13, view an era of photojournalism before digital media and explore Canada’s growth, landscape and people.